Black Star Confederacy
History Early History Founding The Black Star Confederacy was founded some time around 2,000 BBY as the Fuller Republic. Its founders were 100,000 human colonists, who had inadvertedly swirved off course, and crashlanded on the planet Fuller. At first, the colonists spread across only one of the three continents, building farms and mines. Within six months, the first large town, Fuller City, was founded. Factories and airports shot up around Fuller City, and by the end of the first year, the elected leader, the Pro-Consul, declared the founding of the Fuller Republic. Shortly after, the term 'Fulleri' was coined as a reference to the citizens of the Republic. For the next 500 years, the Fulleri prospered. They quickly re-invented the hyperdrive and other common technologies, and began to colonize the other two habitable planets in the system, Killian and Yril. The resulting wealth benefitted every Fulleri, as the government generously spent the wealth on public services. But as the wealth grew, some Fulleri turned to piracy. Between 1,600 BBY and 1,591 BBY, the number of pirate attacks soared. In response, the government founded the Killian Shipyards on the planet Killian. KS soon began building escort ships to guard against the pirates, which slowly decreased the number of attacks. But the worst was yet to come.. The War of Lost Souls Sometime around 1,500 BBY, the Fuller Republic made contact with a neighbouring government, the Decuu Empire. According to legend, the meeting was anything but friendly, and shortly after the meeting, ships of the Decuu Empire began raiding Fulleri shipping. The Republic retaliated in kind, entering Decuu space and raiding Decuu shipping. The raids quickly escalated to full-scale war. The years between 1,500 BBY and 1,300 BBY became known as the War of Lost Souls (a term originally coined by Decuri historians in 1,294 BBY), and were characterised by almost continual warfare between the two realms. Both Fuller and Decuu, the capital of the Decuu Empire, was invaded several times in the course of the war. Every invasion on both Fuller and Decuu were repelled, though with great losses. The planet Yril in the Fuller System changed hands several times. Finally, the citizens of both realms had enough of the war and the mounting losses, and in 1,300 BBY, the Pro-Consul of the Fuller Republic met with the Emperor of the Decuu Empire, and signed the treaty that ended the war. Total casualties amounted to over 2 billion Fulleri and nearly as many Decuri. The damage to the infrastructure of the realms exceeded 300 billion credits, both militaries had lost excessive amounts of equipment, and the planet Pesht in the Decuu System had been scoured of life by Republic warships. The Unification War After the end of the War of Lost Souls, the Fuller Republic and the Decuu Empire co-existed relatively peacefully, and even began trading with each other. But in 1,100 BBY, the Decuri colonies broke off. When the Empire did not retaliate on the former colonies, seedy personalities saw their chance, and by 1,053 BBY, large swarms of pirates began plaguing the trade routes. When Toren DeVij ascended the throne of the Decuu Empire in 1,031 BBY, he called his Republic counterpart, Pro-Consul Simm Rodolv, to a meeting. Here he proposed the joining of the two realms in a new Confederacy, in an effort to combat the pirates. Rodolv agreed, and the formation of this confederacy was announced in early 1,030 BBY. But large parts of the Decuri disagreed with the decision. The planet Aksum rebelled, joining with the pirate forces to form the New Decuu Empire, declaring war on both realms. With the unification thus delayed, the Republic and the Empire remained apart, instead signing an alliance against the pirates and the rebels on Aksum. The rebel forces, now merged with the pirate fleets, proved stronger than anticipated, and the war dragged on for nearly 30 years. Finally, in 1,000 BBY, the last remaining pirate fleet was crushed above the planet Pesht, and Aksum fell to a determined Loyalist assault. A month later, the Fuller Republic and the Decuu Empire merged to become the Black Star Confederacy. Recent History A New Power After the formation of the Black Star Confederacy, there were a surge of immigrations from the Fuller System to the Decuu System, and vice versa. When the immigrations slowed to a crawl in 989 BBY, there were no longer any planets in the Confederacy exclusively inhabitated by only one of the prime species. Most noticable were the planet Killian in the Fuller System, where fully half of the 700 million were Decuri in 989 BBY. The industry of the Confederacy were expanded, which led to the founding of the arms company Decuu Arms in 977 BBY, and the Decuri takeover of Killian Shipyards in 942 BBY. Mining operations on Fuller, Decuu, Killian and - to some extent - Aksum, were expanded between 846 BBY and 791 BBY. As pirate activities increased from 993 BBY, controlled by surviving Rebels from the Unification War, the military was also expanded. The Droptrooper Corps were founded in 986 BBY, the Navy was expanded in 984 BBY, and the Starfighter Corps were officially founded in 963 BBY (though it had existed unofficially since 1,030 BBY). By 300 BBY, Fuller, Killian and Decuu had been all but stripped of their natural resources, and began making the areas holding the few remaining resources (mostly forest and mountains) Sanctuaries. In their stead, Aksum experienced an increasing demand, and increased their mining efforts accordingly. First Contact A new era for the Confederacy began in 6 BBY, shaped by three distinct events. Firstly, 6 BBY were the year that the idealist Piel Tomanns became President. Tomanns immediately ordered the exploration of the surrounding systems, in an effort to find new resources. The results of this exploration increased the wealth of the Confederacy several times, and was in effect the precursor of the wave of expansionism that hit the Confederacy after 6 BBY (see below). The second event to shape the Confederacy after 6 BBY, was the introduction of the eighth ''Dread''-class battleship, the Crusader. These powerful vessels were the most sophisticated warships available to the Confederacy. The third, and arguably most important, event occurred in the last months of 6 BBY. The ''Skaadi''-class cruiser Sword of Vengeance, commanded by Commodore Ton Lind, were exploring the systems north of the Decuu System, when it happened across an alien warship. Lind took a chance and put his weapons offline, before hailing the ship. It quickly turned out that the ship belonged to a race of feline aliens, known as the Kartanin, organised in the Kartanin Dominion. Thanks to Lind and the Kartanin commander, the encounter turned out peacefully. The meeting with the Kartanin resulted in a trade agreement in 5 BBY. The agreement meant that the Confederacy gained access to Kartanin anti-matter technology in return for large shipments of Valarite, a mineral frequently used in Kartanin hyperspace technology. A Call to Power By 1 ABY, pirates based on the independent planet Drillaria began raiding Confederate and Kartanin shipping. Over the next 4 years, the attacks increased, inflicting severe economic damage to both realms. By 5 ABY, they had enough. The Confederacy and the Dominion made a temporary alliance, and began raiding pirate holdings, slowly whittling down the pirate forces. The campaign ended in 6 ABY when massive Confederate and Dominion forces assaulted Drillaria, capturing it and the entire pirate high command, including the self-proclaimed Pirate King. At the subsequent negotiations between the Confederacy and the Dominion, it was decided that the Dominion would occupy Drillaria, while the Confederacy received the majority of the spoils found on Drillaria. Later that year, Anton Millard replaced Piel Tomanns as President, after Tomanns retired after his third period. Millard continued the expansion course started by Tomanns, and at the beginning of his second period (10 ABY) saw the launching of the colony ship Another Chance, which colonised the planet Garagos in the Garagos System. But Millards triumph was short. A month after the launch of Another Chance, he was assassinated. To prevent chaos, the Chief Senator Dechin Ko'Iron, the Chief Advisor Darren Sindral, and the captain of the Presidential Guard, Colonel Alia DeRoon, gathered and chose the Decuri First Admiral Joran Thorn as "Interim President". After capturing and executing the traitors responsible for the death of Millard, Thorn was elected President three months later. A Golden Age After Thorn was elected President, things evolved at record-speed. The Confederacy expanded immensely, numbering 21 inhabitated systems by 11 ABY and growing. Much happened in foreign politics as well. In 12 ABY, the Confederacy met the Isen Star Empire, a realm controlled by Dark Jedi. Then it met the members of the Interstellar Sovereign's Alliance: The Sandian Imperial League, the Jade Worlds, the United Systems Alliance, and the Isis Empire. Shortly thereafter, the Confederacy joined the ISA. In early 13 ABY, the northern members of the ISA (the Confederacy, the Jade Worlds, and the United Systems Alliance) were attacked by the alien race known as the Uul'Ba-Rai. The Jade Worlds ceased to exist, and was soon occupied by Isen forces, and the United Systems Alliance were reduced to a single system. The Confederacy was lucky - the aliens attacked Fuller, the most heavily defended planet in the Confederacy, and were destroyed. Later that year, the Isis Empire saw a chance to expand its powerbase, and attacked the United Systems Alliance. The Confederacy joined with the Sandians and the United Systems Alliance in a punitive attack against Isis territory, destroying the realm. The Sandians subsequently executed the emperor of Isis, but was forced to give up occupying the territory. Shortly after the Isis campaign, the Confederacy and the Kartanin Dominion signed a mutual protection pact, to defend themselves against the antics of the various realms surrounding them. , Empress.]]In late 13 ABY, the Isen Star Empire convinced the Confederacy to leave the Interstellar Sovereigns' Alliance, and join the newly-made Interstellar Concordium. The Concordium was shortlived, however, and the Confederacy quickly joined the Interstellar Sovereign's Alliance once again. With the fall of the Concordium, the Isen Star Empire was plunged into civil war. The Confederacy took advantage of the situation, and annexed the Jade Worlds Sector. In early 14 ABY, Thorn ordered that contact be made to other interstellar realms. This resulted in relations being struck up with the New Firrerre Republic (later becoming the driving force behind the Commonwealth of Allied Systems), and resulted in the formation of a Confederate garrison on the NFR capital world, Firrerre. Later, relations were also made with the United Raimei Federation, the Kingdom of Naboo, and the Laro Order. A few months later, the Confederacy launched a campaign against the pirate realm known as the Grey Worlds Alliance. The campaign lasted for nearly eight months, resulting in the Protectorate of Spyrta and the occupation of the former Grey Worlds systems. While the campaign was ongoing, the Interstellar Sovereign's Alliance were dismantled, being replaced with mutual protection pacts with the Sandian Imperial League and the United Systems Alliance. After the disbandment of the ISA, the Confederacy signed an alliance with the United Raimei Federation. In mid-14 ABY, the garrison on Firrerre was moved to the planet Sanctuary, and reinforced with another 7,000 troops (bringing the force up to 10,000) and a naval contingent. The Jade Worlds Sector was surrendered to the Kartanin Dominion in exchange for the felines' help in Thorn's latest scheme: The conquest of the Unknown Regions... A month after the loss of the Jade Worlds, the Confederacy thought it time to end the war with the Durgasi once and for all. Two newly formed fleets, commanded by Vice Admiral Linda Evans and General Baen Talal respectively, attacked and captured the Durgasi systems Balzac and Taeloth. Shortly after, the emperor of the Durgasi, Durgaz XIV, sued for peace. In exchange for peace, the last Durgasi system, Reznor, joined the Confederacy, and the Durgasi Empire ceased to exist. Operation Sleeping Dragon Operation Sleeping Dragon was the Confederate codename for the covert operation that secured the work of the late Jade Worlds scientist Sepphardi Bolzhmann. Bolzhmann had created a potential superweapon at the KETS station, before he was killed during the Uul'Ba-Rai assault of the Jade Worlds. When Department X learned of this weapon, they gave Commodore Linda Evans command of Task Force 17, and ordered her to secure the research for the Confederacy. As a result, the KETS station was stripped of all equipment, leaving it a hollow shell, and battlefields were searched and items of interest confiscated. Eventually, the trail ended at a woman called Plema Inkal. She was promptly arrested and interrogated. Her interrogation led to the arrests of a criminal called Keitin, as well as the arrest of Governor Di'te, who had hidden the existence of the plans from the Confederacy. All available information of the research was uncovered succesfully. During his trial, former Governor Di'te claimed that he never intended to use the weapon, merely to keep it from terrorist hands. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of treason along with Inkal and Keitin, and sentenced to life in prison. Operation Ghost Hammer Halfway into the Xen'Chi War, the Confederacy launched the top-secret Operation Ghosthammer, aimed at cutting the Xen'Chi lines at Reecee and driving east towards the Empire. The Confederate fleet was joined by a small Jade Worlds contingent, as well as the Sandian Fourteenth Fleet. The combined fleet defeated Xen'Chi forces at Reecee, Bilbringi and Vortex before splitting up. After a brief meeting with Grand Admiral Thrawn at Coruscant, the Confederate forces began mopping-up operations in the area bordering the Unknown Regions. 15-16 ABY During the better part of 15 ABY, the Confederacy spent large amounts of credits on the rebuilding of the old Durgasi worlds. In mid-15 ABY, Alia DeRoon gave birth to a son, Elwen. Shortly after, she and Joran Thorn was married, and Alia was crowned as Empress, making Elwen Crown Prince Designate of the Confederacy. The late Chief Senator Dechin Ko'Iron and the late Lord Advisor Darren Sindral was replaced by fresh blood. Lord Soren Kellson took up the mantle of the Chief Senator, while Lord Karth Orvarrin accepted the position of Lord Advisor. It remains to be seen if they can match their predecessors. In late 16 ABY, the vast majority of the Confederate naval forces joined the Galactic Fleet heading for the Xen'Chi homeworld, Chil'a'Chin, in preparation for the final battle of the war... With the issue of Imperial Decree No.117, Thorn streamlined the democratic process and appointed Regional Governors to oversee the provinces created at the same time. Shortly after, the Kadyr joined the Confederacy. With the inclusion of the Republic of United Systems into the Jade Empire, the alliance between the Confederacy and the Republic was declared void. Civil War In mid-17 ABY, rebels long hidden within the Confederate political and military systems struck. Within hours, the Emperor was dead, the Senate and High Command imprisoned, and the majority of the armed forces had joined the rebels, sparking the Confederate Civil War. But what seemed to be a swift war turned into a month-long battle between Loyalist and Rebel forces. The tides finally turned, when First Admiral Eshtemoh Cosimo managed to contact the Kartanin Dominion and convince them to send several Warfleets to the Loyalists' aid. Within days of the arrival of the Warfleets, the rebels had been defeated. Rebuilding With peace restored, Empress Alia DeRoon-Thorn assembled the Confederate Senate and began drafting a new Constitution, resulting in the election of Karth Orvarrin as President and the abdication of the Empress. Eshtemoh Cosimo replaced Ton Lind as High Admiral of the Confederate Navy, and began an aggressive program to rebuild the naval strength of the Confederacy. Meanwhile, the Confederacy as a whole began rebuilding after the costly civil war. Dark Times In mid-18 ABY, Sivter sent his Charon legions to destroy Fuller. In a spectacular battle, the Charon turned the thriving capital of the Confederacy into a lifeless rock, before they vanished again. The event sent the Confederacy spiralling into a political and economic crisis, that would become known as the Dark Times... Government and politics Membership in the Black Star Confederacy The Black Star Confederacy was a voluntary confederation organized on democratic principles. Primary (voting) membership was available to any independent sovereign political entity representing one or more unified planetary populations, or to other recognized and definable territories. Membership followed an application process (during which the candidate member reviewed the Constitution and other governing statutes and agreed to abide by them) and an assessment process (during which the candidate member's annual support contribution was determined). Affiliate (non-voting) membership was available to subordinate political units (for example, the individual members of a league of worlds) and to duly recognized representatives of sentient species not constituting a political unit. Observer (non-voting) membership was available to nonmember allies of the Confederacy. Legislative branch The government of the Black Star Confederacy was organized around a unicameral legislative body called the Confederate Senate. Primary members were represented in the Senate by a senator. Each senator had a single vote, regardless of the population represented. Affiliate members were represented on Fuller by a legate, who could speak in general sessions of the Senate, but could not vote on official Senate business (to avoid dual representation) or serve in the Senate's various working bodies. As a body with a large and potentially unlimited membership, the Senate-in-whole was an almost impossibly unwieldy structure for getting work done. Consequently, most of the real governance was performed by the Senate's councils, committees, and commissions. The daily business of the Senate proper was primarily speech-making and public debate. Councils were appointed bodies with autonomous decision-making and appropriation authority over some segment of government operations outside the Senate proper (for example, the Defense Council, which oversaw the Navy). The most populous and powerful members of the Confederacy were disproportionately represented on the Senate's councils. Committees were elected bodies with the authority to administer various aspects of Senate operations, including the general budget. They were semi-autonomous; in the event of a unanimous committee vote, the approval of the Senate-in-whole was not required (however, the Senate-in-whole could override a less-than-unanimous committee decision with a three-to-five majority). Commissions were voluntary bodies with an advisory capacity only. They prepared reports on issues of concern for presentation to the President, to the Prime Minister, to the Supreme Commander, or to the general membership; scheduled and conducted hearings; and contracted for independent research. Executive branch The Black Star Confederacy was headed by the Confederate President. The President was elected by fifty percent and one vote majority of the Senators. The President was also the Chief Senator of the Senate. The President could be recalled by a majority vote of the Senate on presentation of a petition of no-confidence by a majority of the Advisory Council, or by a quarter of the primary members of the Senate. The election of a President could be blocked by the Advisory Council on a unanimous vote. In practice, the power of the Advisory Council to void an election and initiate the recall of a sitting President meant that any candidate proposed by or approved by the Advisory Council was likely to be elected by the Senate. The Advisory Council consisted of the chairmen of the Senate councils and the Chief Senator. The President could select any member of the Advisory Council to conduct the business of the Senate in her absence from that body. If the president became incapacitated, incommunicado, or died, the chairman of the Ministry Council selected an acting Chief of State from among the following: any former President, the current Prime Minister, or any former Prime Minister. The day-to-day running of government was done by the General Ministry, the bureaucracy of the Black Star Confederacy, lead by the Prime Minister. It was organized into several large permanent Ministries, smaller task-oriented service Agencies, and several semi-independent Institutes. The various Senate councils had oversight and financing authority over the corresponding Ministries. The General Ministry consisted of the heads of the various ministries and was headed by the Prime Minister. This body was the link between the Chief of State and the Ministries. Judicial branch The Court of Justice was the judicial branch of the Black Star Confederacy. The members of the Court of Justice were selected by the Senate Justice Council from a list of nominees presented by the Chief Senator. The First Justice was elected by the other members of the Court from among their number. Nominally independent, the power of the Court of Justice was limited by its narrowly defined jurisdiction: to review charges of violations of the Constitution by members or by the other branches of the Black Star Confederacy's government. The Court of Justice did not serve as the court of last appeal for ordinary civil and criminal cases; those were settled by local judicial authorities on member worlds. Military The Confederate Defence Force was the military arm of the Black Star Confederacy. At its peak, it operated hundreds of warships, transports, and support vessels, divided into command fleets and task forces, in addition to ground troop divisions and starfighter wings. The fleets were known collectively as the Confederate Defence Fleet, although many referred to it as the Confederate Navy. The Supreme Commander, appointed by the Defense Council with the approval of the Chief Senator, led the Defence Force. He reported to the Confederate President. Society and culture The Black Star Confederacy had a very diverse culture. Member worlds were able to maintain their own culture in accordance with local beliefs, customs, and traditions. There was a wide variety of different cultures within the Confederacy: from religious communities like the Tak to hive-like communes. The Black Star Confederacy had a liberal policy towards arts also. Thanks to the ancient mixing of human and Decuri culture, Humanocentrism was all but unknown within Confederate space before 16 ABY. Even the effects of Humanocentrism, such as slavery, was virtually unknown, partly due to the strict laws governing it. Slavery was forbidden upon pain of death, and the Confederacy only rarely showed mercy to slavers. In fact, numerous former slaves finally found freedom in Confederate space. Humanocentrism surged after 16 ABY, especially in the Gamma Sector, where many opposed the influx of alien colonists during and after the Xen'Chi War. Even so, they had little political power, and the Confederate Security Corps was adamant in suppressing the actions such views often entailed. Native Species The Black Star Confederacy was home to several indigenous sentient species. The most important of these were the ashen-skinned Decuri, one of the founding species of the Confederacy and reputed to be related to the elusive Chiss. Almost equally important was the crimson-skinned Durgasi, the red-skinned Garagosians, the feline-like Kadyr, and the non-humanoid Unstul. Immigrated Species Located in the Unknown Regions as it was, there were originally few members from other species present in the Confederacy. After 16 ABY, this changed; partly because of the opening of trade with other governments and companies, which resulted in many traders settling in the Confederacy; and partly because of an influx of refugees from worlds conquered by the Xen'Chi. By 18 ABY, it was no longer a rarity to see a Sullustan or a Twi'lek walking past a Durgasi or a Decuri. Among the most prevalent of the immigrants were Advoszec, Bith, Cathar, Chiss, Firrerreo, Selkath, Twi'leks, and Utai. Outsider's Guide Upon entry The only safe route into the Confederacy was a spacelane from the Sistoone System to the Xersia System. It was heavily fortified and patrolled, and was considered quite safe for civilians. Until 17 ABY, the Confederacy officially ended at Xersia, but that year Sistoone joined the Confederacy, forcing an expansion of the spacelane. Sectors The Confederacy consisted of four Sectors: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Confederate Law Confederate law differed little from Galactic law, but visitors would do well to consider the following crimes and their penalties: Bar brawls and non-lethal duelling were punishable by one month in a penal colony, while use of a deadly weapon was punished with two years in a penal colony; spice smuggling, gun-running and second degree murder was punished by life imprisonment in a penal colony; and slave trading and first degree murder was punishable by death by firing squad. Confederate Security Corps personnel were authorized to use lethal force, should an offender attempt to resist arrest. Resisting arrest (assuming the offender survived it) was punished by three months in a penal colony. Law Enforcement Security and intelligence work was undertaken by two separate entities; Confederate Security which was nominally controlled by the Ministry of Security, but subordinate to the General Ministry and the Security Council; and the Confederate Security Corps, which handled day-to-day police and customs work and was subordinate to the Ministry of Security. Corporations The Confederacy was home to numerous corporations. For centuries, these companies helped the Confederacy survive by inventing new and better technology. Space Technology *Dumarki Design Systems *Fuller SpaceDrive *Hua Spaceyards *Idari Space Corporation *Killian Shipyards *Luxor Spaceworks Ground Technology *Arisaka Technologies *Benson Motors *Confederate Military Engineering *Decuu Arms *Dumarki Design Systems *Jacson-Sukenov *MiliTech *Toyochev Motors *Zamira Arms Weapons Technology *Arisaka Technologies *Decuu Arms *DeVreen Armaments *HattMark Weapons *Jacson-Sukenov *Jain Arms *MiliTech *Zamira Arms Others *Imperial Robotics *Republic Automaton *Republic DroidWorks Active Threads *Open Thread: Life in the Confederacy Category:Featured ArticleCategory:Black_Star_ConfederacyCategory:Governments Category:Jagtai